5 Steps to Identify Your Ideal Customer or Client

Let me ask you a question... Who is your ideal customer or client? If your answer is

"I don't know" or "Everyone" then you need to continue reading!

A costly mistake business owners make is failing to define whom they serve.

It is tempting to think that everyone needs your product or service, but in reality, this type of thinking can lead you down a road to very few customers, if any.

"If You Try To Serve Everyone In Your Business, You'll Serve No One Well."

- Kathy Caprino

Use the following five steps when determining your ideal customer or client.

1- GRAB A PEN AND PAPER IT IS TIME TO BRAINSTORM-

We are going to start this process by brainstorming. Brainstorming will be one of the essential steps in the process of determining who your ICA (Ideal Customer Avatar) is.

Ask yourself what specific problem I am trying to solve for my customer or client?

No matter if you sell a product or a service, — you’re selling a solution to a problem … and people are looking to get their problems solved.

The business owner who can understand the problem the best will most likely be the one that gets the business. The act of solving problems should be the primary focus of any engagement with a prospective customer.

So let's dig deep and break it down. Use the following as a guide to determine your demographics of your customer or client.

Gender-

Age Range-

Location-

Average Income-

Level of Education-

Occupation-

Buying Behaviors-

My goal here is to really help you nail down your ICA, so you must take the time to determine your customer or client's demographics. By doing this, you will have an excellent foundation to build upon as we add in the next steps.

2- LOOK AT YOUR COMPETITORS-

This is an excellent way to begin to lock down your ICA. Start with a google search and look for anyone whom you would consider your competitor. Search social media platforms as well. When you find someone that resonates with you, look at their followers, and let that help you to determine your ideal client.

Look at your competitors' websites and lead magnets. This will tell you who they are serving and whom they are trying to attract.

Another tactic that can be beneficial is to follow hashtags that are relevant to what you do. You can look at the people that are following these hashtags, and this will also be a good indicator of who your ICA is.

3- SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS-

Social media platforms provide you with your analytics. Take a look at these weekly. These analytics provide information about your audience such as location, age, and post that they have interacted with and engaged with the most. The more valuable content you provide on your social media, the more people will follow your account. The key to attracting your ICA on social media is to stay active and consistent with your content you put out there. This is free advertising, so take advantage of it!

4- SURVEY YOUR EXISTING CUSTOMERS AND CLIENTS-

A survey can be an excellent way to get information and feedback from those who have previously used your product or service. Once you receive your surveys back, you can use the data to pinpoint who is likely to use your product or services in the future, when creating the survey (this can easily be done in google forms for free) start by asking questions related to the basic demographics you defined above.

Be sure you are asking probing questions about critical issues and problems they face so you can better understand your value to them. Make sure to ask how and